The McCains decided against Mrs. McCain participating in Dancing with the Stars.

(CNN) - It’s official: John McCain is edging his way back onto the national stage — but his wife Cindy has opted to avoid the spotlight. Literally.

Speaking on CNN's Larry King Live Thursday, Sen. John McCain confirmed reports his wife had weighed the possibility of appearing on the hit TV show 'Dancing with the Stars.'

Those reports said Mrs. McCain was in talks with the show's producers late last year, and was close to being a contestant during the upcoming season.

The former Republican presidential candidate told King Thursday both McCains talked the opportunity over and decided against it. "Well, we discussed it, but we decided it just was not a good idea," McCain said. "You know, Cindy's on her second knee. She's had it replaced."

"It would have been very challenging," McCain continued. "But I'm proud of her work and charity around the world, Operation Smile, a number of other organizations - humanitarian efforts that she's involved in and is continuing to be involved in."

Mrs. McCain isn't the first politically-connected individual to be invited to appear on the show: Former vice presidential candidate Dan Quayle reportedly turned down a similar offer last year.

President Barack Obama and Vice President Joe Biden met with Democratic and Republican congressional leadership to discuss his stimulus proposal, trying to sell both sides on a plan that includes both tax cuts and massive spending efforts.

NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) - After a call for "bold and swift" action on the economy in his first moments as president on Tuesday, President Barack Obama got right to work, maneuvering to reach a bipartisan agreement on his sweeping economic recovery plan.

On Friday, Obama and Vice President Joe Biden met with Democratic and Republican congressional leadership to discuss his stimulus proposal, trying to sell both sides on a plan that includes both tax cuts and massive spending efforts.

The president offered more detail on his plan to restore economic growth. He said he'd take a three-pronged approach to recovery: stabilize the financial system, fix market regulation and pass the stimulus plan.

(CNN) - Embattled Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich accused the state Senate Friday of "trampling" his constitutional rights by imposing what he believes are unlawful restrictions in his upcoming impeachment trial, scheduled to begin Monday.

Blagojevich, who is facing federal corruption charges, asked the editorial boards of Illinois' largest newspapers - including the Chicago Tribune and Chicago Sun-Times - to weigh in on his behalf and "urge the Senate to change the rules."

"I believe everyone is entitled to a fair hearing," Blagojevich said at a Chicago press conference. The trial is a "violation of the freedoms we enjoy as Americans ... If they can do this to a governor, they can do this to any citizen in Illinois."

Blagojevich specifically asked for a change in a Senate trial rule which he said is preventing him from calling witnesses such as Obama confidant Valerie Jarrett, Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. and White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel.

Emanuel, claimed Blagojevich, agrees that he did not break any laws.

Blagojevich also contested a rule which he claimed does not allow him to challenge the basic assertions in the state House impeachment report.

CNN Political Editor Mark Preston sat down with House Republican Leader John Boehner Friday. Watch the interview.

WASHINGTON (CNN) – Should marijuana be legalized? What will you do to reach out to the Ron Paul Republicans and like-minded libertarian-leaning Republicans? Is waterboarding torture?

House Minority Leader John Boehner of Ohio fields a lot questions each day here in the nation’s capital - but they’re usually tossed at him by professional journalists. And I can’t recall the last time any of them were marijuana-related.

On Friday, Boehner sat down with me for a 20-minute interview. But most of the questions weren’t mine — they were yours.

The interview was a joint venture between CNN.com and the popular social news site Digg. Nearly 1,500 questions for Boehner were submitted over a two-day period. The Digg community voted on each question, and ranked them in the order of interest. I was able to ask the Republican leader the top 10, as well as a very sharp question submitted through CNN’s iReport about what the Republican Party can do to attract young voters.

The interview took place right after Boehner met with President Barack Obama at the White House. Before I dove into the Digg questions, I had to ask the Republican leader if he thought he could work with the new president.

“Only time will tell,” the Republican leader told me. “The country needs for the president to succeed and for the president to succeed, Congress needs to work with him, and I think that we need to continue to work together to try to resolve issues that the American people expect their government to resolve.”

ST. PAUL, Minnesota (CNN) - The three-judge panel overseeing former Republican Sen. Norm Coleman's post-election lawsuit announced at a pre-trial hearing Friday that the trial will commence "promptly" at 1 pm central time on Monday.

The judges said that starting Tuesday, the proceedings will follow a regular 9 am to 4:30 pm schedule, with an hour break each day for lunch, adding that they aim to make the process speedy as "there is some urgency to this matter."

WASHINGTON (CNN) - President Barack Obama will issue an executive order Friday afternoon reversing a controversial abortion policy from the past three Republican administrations, a senior administration official said.

The order comes the day after the 36th anniversary of Roe v. Wade - the 1973 Supreme Court decision legalizing abortion in the United States.

The order reverses the "Mexico City policy," initiated by President Ronald Reagan in 1984, canceled by President Bill Clinton and reinstated by President George W. Bush in 2001.

(CNN) - Despite the post-election battle between Sarah Palin and John McCain's campaign advisors, the former Republican presidential candidate told CNN’s Larry King both members of the GOP ticket remain “very close.”

McCain — who has been edging his way back into the spotlight Palin never quite left - dismissed questions over his running mate’s criticism of his campaign team. “Listen, I think the world of Governor Palin, her husband Todd, her family, I'm honored that she would run with me,” he said in an interview Thursday.

“And look, whenever there is a losing campaign there is always a little bit of back and forth, and it happens post-mortem. I am so grateful to have her as a friend, and I believe that she represents a lot to the Republican Party in the future. I think she has a big role to play.”

WASHINGTON (CNN) - Calling development and foreign assistance a "critical element" in U.S. national security, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton Friday challenged employees of the U.S. Agency for International Development to once again earn "a global leadership role."

(CNN) - Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is congratulating the woman who will replace her in the Senate.

"Today I congratulate Kirsten Gillibrand on her appointment by Governor Paterson to serve as Senator from New York," Clinton said in a statement. "Kristen is an intelligent and dedicated public servant and a dear friend."